WATCH: Lester Holt Tries To Fact-Check GOP Senator, Fails Miserably

Last night, NBC News anchor Lester Holt attempted to fact-check Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) during the Republican debate. However, it didn’t go as planned. During the exchange, Sen. Scott was asked about his immediate plans to aid Americans struggling with the cost of living.

“The first thing I would do as President of the United States is I would sign the XL Keystone Pipeline and start seeing resources flow,” said Scott.

Holt interjected with skepticism: “The idea of pumping gas, of turning on pipelines, that doesn’t make gas cheaper that day.”

“Well, actually it does, to be honest with you,” Scott countered. “The way that the economy works is it works on the ability to anticipate excess supply versus the demand. When that happens, confidence drives our prices down because we know there’s going to be a greater surplus.”

“You know Proverbs 22:7 reminds us that the borrower is slave to the lender. We have become an indentured servant too often to countries like China. By having an energy economy, we start allowing this nation to once again return to being a citizen of the hill,” Scott finished.

During the nomination debate, Scott contrasted several of his competitors, as he opted for a more subdued presence in the third debate. He later justified his approach with the remark, “The loudest voices too often say too little.” Scott did however call for an American-led attack on Iran as a response to attacks on Israel by Hamas and other Iran-backed groups.

“You have to strike in Iran,” he said. “If you want to make a difference, you cannot just continue to have strikes in Syria on warehouses. You actually have to cut off the head of the snake, and the head of the snake is Iran and not simply their proxies. In order for us to have a powerful response from America, we have to be in a position of strength.”

“As president of the United States, my foreign policy is simple. You cannot negotiate with evil. You have to destroy it.”

Scott’s calls for war with Iran were far from the only fierce foreign policy statement of the night. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley repeated her calls to “finish” Hamas at all costs. “The first thing I said to [Netanyahu] when it happened is ‘finish them — finish them,'” Haley said.

Vivek Ramaswamy called for a more nuanced approach, stating that Israel should have the right to defend itself while also calling for the United States to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Scott also took a strong stance on abortion, a central topic of the debate. He expressed his disapproval of states such as California, Illinois, and New York, which all allow abortions up to the day of birth, and he criticized the former Democratic governor of Virginia for making comments that he interpreted as supportive of infanticide.